Yesterday (11 May), the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) published its UK waste statistics for the 2020 calendar year.
Household recycling rates fell for England, Scotland and Northern Ireland to 44 per cent, 41 per cent and 49.1 per cent, respectively. The only nation in the UK to uphold its rates was Wales, which saw a household recycling rate of 56.5 per cent in 2020.
Commenting on the statistics, Welsh Minister for Climate Change Julie James said: “Most people in Wales now deem it unthinkable to scrape their food waste directly into the rubbish bin instead of their food caddy. This amazing change in behaviour by the Welsh public stops emissions from being released into the atmosphere that accelerate climate change.
“Our recycling stats are world-class thanks to a Team Wales effort. Despite the pandemic and all the challenges it bought with it, local authorities managed to prioritise recycling, the collectors worked heroically all the way through, and the fantastic people of Wales continued to recycle.
“We must now continue to raise our ambitions to reach zero waste by 2050 and net-zero carbon emissions so we can tackle the climate and nature emergencies in earnest, and pass on a resilient, green and prosperous planet to our future generations.”
The average figure for the UK was 44.4 per cent, meaning that if the UK were still an EU member, it would potentially be facing infraction fines for failing to meet the Union’s minimum 50 per cent recycling targets.
Defra noted that the reporting period for some of the statistics coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic and the national lockdowns. Whilst effects on local authorities in England varied, the department stated that ‘generally there were disruptions and some cancellations of kerbside collections of recycling and garden waste. There were also widespread closures of Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs).’
Bettina Gilbert, Head of Programme Delivery at WRAP, commented: “Only Wales maintained its status quo, while England, Scotland and Northern Ireland saw rates fall. 2020 was of course an unprecedented year with full lockdown and huge disruptions across the board, which likely caused this decline.
“Contributing factors are likely to have been the closure of many household waste and recycling centres and restricted services offered during the pandemic, with local authorities struggling to provide services around staff illness.
“Priority was given to maintaining residual waste collections for health and safety reasons, while garden waste collections and recycling often had to be suspended or severely curtailed.
“That the levels have not fallen further is a testament to the amazing job done by the thousands of key workers continuing to collect our waste and recycling. Recycling helps protect our planet, so it’s crucial that we continue to recycle as much as we can.”
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How will the government and DMOs address the challenges of including glass in DRS while ensuring a level playing field across the UK?
There's no easy solution to include glass in the DRS while maintaining a level playing field. Potential approaches include a phased introduction of glass, potentially with higher deposits to reflect its logistical challenges. The government and DMOs could incentivise innovation in glass packaging design and subsidise dedicated return points for glass-handling. Exemptions for smaller businesses unable to handle glass might also be necessary. Any successful solution will likely blend several approaches. It must address the differing priorities of devolved administrations, balance environmental benefits with logistical and cost implications, and be supported by robust consumer education campaigns emphasizing the importance of glass recycling.